Falling in love had been so easy and natural and there I stood wondering about ratings and blowing hismind. I’m sure it was no coincidence the article I retrieved from the mailbox upon my return from the grocery store. I discovered that men from more than a dozen countries, including America, were asked, “What is the most valuable, attractive attribute a woman can have?” The consistent answer was happy, fun loving, joyful, smiling, good attitude.”

My mind skipped back about 14 years to a time when my husband and I were courting and soon to be married. I wanted to know what made him choose me. I wanted him to tell me so I would always know how to please him. So I asked him and he said, “You support me in my dreams and you have a positive attitude.” I quickly took inventory. Was my attitude still positive? When was the last time we had a good laugh together? When was the last time he was greeted with a hug and a kiss at the end of his workday?

I admit I had become more accustomed to venting my frustrations about the kids versus greeting my husband cheerfully. Would my husband describe me as joyful and fun loving? I grimaced as I remembered the last time he teasingly jumped from behind the closet door to startle me. I felt irritated and it showed. In our dating years I would have screamed with delight, showered his face with kisses and plotted a playful revenge. How did life get so serious?

Galatians 5:22 says “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. None of thoseattributes is relative to our human nature. Rather, they result from knowing God. It goes on tosay in verse 25, “since we live by the spirit let us keep in step with the spirit.”

There was my answer I had to choose joy. Not joy as a result of my circumstances or in direct relation to how much my husband pleased me, but joy that comes from living a life that pleases God... now that will really blow my husband’s mind.